Fit of Gallantry
by The Duckster
Summary: Missing Moment Ron Hermione.Ron can't stop staying the word 'naked' and undressing in the same room together for the first time is awkward. Ron figures out what a bra is and peeks inappropriately annd they bicker about couch cushions and chivalry


Title: Fit of Gallantry

Fandom: Harry Potter

Characters:Ron and Hermione

Prompt: 11 - Red

Word Count:2991

Rating:T

Summary:Missing Moment Ron Hermione. Disrobing in the same room together for the first time is awkward and Ron can't stop staying the word 'naked'. He reflects on Bill and Fleur's wedding. Ron figures out what a bra is and they bicker about couch cushions and chivalry.

Author's Notes:I'd like to say thank you for all the wonderful things you have all said in your reviews. I will be the first to admit it's pretty freaking fantastic. Thanks CasaKitten who seriously boosts my ego! Review and you get a cookie *wiggles eyebrows* that you *cough* bake and get for yourself

**Fit of Gallantry **

Ron was left alone in the first floor drawing room while Hermione went to offer Harry his toothbrush. He surveyed the dank dusty room around him, he wasn't too keen on the idea of sleeping here but he hadn't wanted to say anything when Hermione suggested they all sleep together. He picked up a sleeping bag and unrolled it on the worn hardwood floor. '_Doesn't seem too comfortable really',_ and he thought longingly of the beds just a floor above him.

He grabbed another sleeping bag and was about to unroll it next to the first when he noticed the ornate blood red sofa sitting between two tall windows against the far wall. He moved to unroll the sleeping bag on the couch but as he did so noticed a nasty doxie infestation in the heavy drapery adorning the windows. Instead he gathered up the cushions and dropped them next to the first sleeping bag, straightening them into a line with his foot and then lay the bed roll on top of the velvet cushions. He place the third bag on the other side of the first and after deciding he was pleased with his handy work pulled of the sweater handed him in the alley way of Tottenham Court Road.

This evening had definitely not gone as planned. He'd had a simple and straight forward strategy for tonight.

First, compliment Hermione. Check.

Second, ask her to dance so he won't spend another evening watching some prat guide her around the dance floor all night. Check.

Third, ask her for a walk and lead her out to the pond where was there was a short dock above the water so they could dance privately under the stars, he'd even made sure you could her the music from there. Not check.

Fourth, for the sake of all that is good and holy in this world, **snog** her, and **snog** her good. Definitely and most sadly, not check.

Hermione came back looking frazzled. "Is everything alright?" he asked and she just gave him this look that said_ 'You're joking right?' _"Okay stupid question, has anything else gone ridiculously not according to plan?" They both laughed and Ron noticed how the tension in her face seemed to melt away with the laughter.

"Not more so than usual," she sighed and reached for her beaded bag. "I'm guessing you'll be wanting your pajamas." She asked without looking at him.

"Not unless you want to see me starkers, that is me sleeping starkers. That didn't come out right, I'm not saying you want to see me sleeping starkers. I just meant I'd be sleeping naked with you unless you give me my pajamas." Ron groaned internally. "Not saying you want to for some reason sleep with me naked, just that without the pajamas which you are in possession of I would be forced to sleep that way, in the nude. This isn't sounding very good. All I mean to say is that I would be naked with you. WITHOUT you, I meant to say I'd be naked without you and the pajamas, of which, you would give me?" These last words came out sounding like a question. "Yes, pajamas good."

Ron had no idea what to say or do now. Humiliating to say the least, hadn't he just admitted about 8 times that he wanted to sleep naked with her. He covered his face with his hand and just stood there in his festering shame. He felt fabric pressed into his open hand and when he peeked at her through his fingers he saw she was chuckling.

"You present some very interesting offers there. Does your brain typically do that once the option of naked is thrown in there?" _'Yes' _his mind answer quickly but deciding that lying in this case would be the best options instead said.

"No." he grumbled, obviously still embarrassed.

"I'm sure. Now turn around so I can change."

_'What? Wasn't there are like 50 other rooms in this house. Oh and hadn't she just said minutes ago she didn't want to be alone?'_ Dutifully he turned around and unbuttoned his denims. Just as he moved to slide his pants down his legs he heard her let out a loud sigh.

"Do you think you could help me with my zipper?" She asked quietly into the dim room. He tried to swallow but found it difficult all of the sudden so he cleared his throat a little.

"Yeah, sure." he choked out and turned to see her standing with her back to him, her hair pulled up in one hand as she turned her head to look back at him. It was so seductive, her just standing there like that, inviting him to undress her. He felt his cheeks flush as well as large amounts of blood rush between his thighs. Hadn't he just praddled on and on about being naked with her and here she was inviting him to disrobe her? Was she trying to kill him? He stepped over to her and moved his hand to grip the zipper just below the base of her neck.

"There's a small clasp you'll have to undo as well." He stepped closer, leaning and squinting to see any catch. Being unable to find it he preceded to tug on the small metal zipper pull. He knew he shouldn't but he just couldn't stop himself and as he pulled the zipper slowly open he let the tips of his fingers trail delicately along her soft skin. He felt her shiver slightly beneath his touch and he paused but she didn't say anything so he kept up with his slow decent down her back, her skin like silk against his fingertips. He watched with fascination as the straps to her dress dropped from her shoulders, no longer held in place by the support of the tight bodice.

When he got to the bottom he noticed the top of her knickers, and he felt his pants grow tighter as he inspected them. They were made of lace the same color as her dress. He had never seen anything like it on her and even though he knew he would likely get his now hard bits hexed off for it he found he couldn't stop himself and he let his fingertips drag lightly across them as well. Open now, her zipper exposed the top two inches of the sheer garment and though the light was faint he could still see a hint of her converging round cheeks.

Neither of them moved and he just held onto the zipper pull, still touching her, hoping he could memorize everything about the moment. He forced his eyes away from the knickers he knew he'd be thinking about later and saw the catch she must have meant. He moved both hands to it and unhooked the small clasp and suddenly Hermione let out a shocked gasp. He jumped backwards as if he'd been just gotten caught in the cookie jar and felt a blush creep over his ears.

"I'm sorry." he said reflexively, not sure which part he was apologizing for.

"As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm you didn't need to unhook my bra."

"You said there was a small clasp I'd have to undo!" Ron half shouted at he looked down to the floor.

"Yes and there is a small hook and eye at the top of the zipper." She was quiet for a moment and he heard a rustling of fabric. "Or at least there was when I put it on, now it seems to have broken off."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't break anything I swear." He wasn't sure what a hook and eye was but he knew he hadn't broken anything.

"I know you didn't, the eye is missing, it must have broken sometime during the commotion. It's not really made to be evading death eaters in." There was silence between them for a moment and Ron's eyes were fixed steadily on the floor, concentrating hard on the grain patterns of the wood.

"Am I in trouble still?" Ron asked after several seconds of not moving.

"No, of course not Ron. But I would appreciate you turning around though." She sounded embarrassed and that made Ron feel a little better.

"Right, I'll just do that now," and he turned swiftly. He heard her dress falling to the floor and then her feet stepping out of her dress. He heard something else drop to the floor and he racked his brain trying to remember what she'd called that other thing she had on. A bra. He'd heard of those. It's something the muggle girls wear. In the typical dorm room conversations that had come up in his 6 years at Hogwarts they'd been mentioned.

The first time was when Seamus was telling a story about the craziest thing this Hufflepuff he'd been snogging had on under her shirt. Harry and Dean had found the recounting of the story hilarious and Dean had then explained about how muggle girls wear them to hold up their breasts. He, Seamus and Neville had all been a little flummoxed by the idea.

Why had it never occurred to him that as a muggle born she would retain some of those muggle habits. Ron had just undone Hermione's bra. Her reaction paired with the situation Seamus had been in when he'd first heard of them made Ron think that was a rather significant thing. Which made sense being an article of clothing dedicate to hugging the curves of her breasts.

She'd said he wasn't in trouble though, does that mean he's allowed to see her breasts. What was he thinking? He hadn't even kissed her yet, why was he wondering if it was okay to see her titties?

She was of course standing feet from his wearing only the sheer lacy knickers he'd spied earlier. He glanced around the room quickly looking for anything reflective. If he got caught she'd kill him. There wouldn't be enough left of him to send to his mother, but he just couldn't stop himself right then.

There was the display case that they'd cleaned out two summers ago. In the mirror behind the glass he found what he was looking for. He watched as she slipped a tank top over head, and just for a second he glimpsed the dark circles making up her nipple He couldn't tally the amount of times his mind had conjured up the very image he was now staring open mouthed at. Her skin was pale in the moonlight shining though the window and he had to resist the temptation to turn around and reach for her. He felt his pants tightening again, pulling against the rough fabric of his jeans as he watched her wiggle the cotton top over her tummy.

She was beautiful, he couldn't take his eyes off of her long legs. Her knickers sat low on her stomach and he could see the dip of her hips above the lace. She stepped into over sized shorts and then rolled the elastic band down a few times until it fit her.

"Alright I'm decent," she called as she gathered up her clothing. He turned to face her again and she frowned at him disapprovingly. "I thought you said you were going to put on pajamas?" Ron felt like an idiot, he'd been so focused on her undressing and dressing he'd completely forgotten he was suppose to be changing too.

"Oh yeah, I'll do that." he said turning around again. He unzipped the jeans and realized a whole new set of problems. Ron had a massive erection, and he was positive his maroon pajamas would be certain to advertise this fact. _'Shite'_ he thought as he pulled the denim down his legs. He bent to pull his leg out and removed his sock in the same motion. He'd been instructed by Bill a long time ago this was the ideal moment to remove your socks when undressing in front of a woman. He repeated the movement with his other leg and started stepping into his lowers. He hobbled a bit as he did so and he felt himself blush again.

Why hadn't he asked Hermione to turn around? He'd assumed she would but he wasn't sure. He checked in the mirror again only to see her facing away from him, rummaging for something in the beaded bag. He found he was disappointed by this, he wouldn't have turned around while she changed unless she'd asked him, he guess Hermione was less of a randy git then he was.

He got his pants pulled up and looked down to see how bad the damage was. _'Double Shite'_ He groaned loudly at the protruding tent. As quietly as he could he reached his hand into his boxers and adjusted his member so that it was held in place by his waistband. This seemed to only anger it and it sprung back into place. _'Bugger'_

He folded his denims and held them as casually as he could in front of his protruding groin and wished he'd kept on his sweater, now piled on the floor. It was too hot to sleep in it but he could have pulled it off once he was safely inside the sleeping bag. He turned around to see Hermione holding her pale purple dress in her hands inspecting it closely. She looked up and gave him a small smile.

"It's a bit of a shame ya know, I was going to save it in the truck I left at your house with all my things. It's silly really," she ran her fingers along the intricate tucks and folds that made up the front bodice. "It's just that I loved this dress, my mum helped me pick it out before, well before everything. I'd gotten back for the holidays and she was so excited to have me home. She had this whole day planned out of shopping and getting our nails done. Mum would always try and get me to do stuff like that with me, and I usually put up such a fight about it. I think it just spoiled the whole thing for her when I did that.

"This time though, I didn't whine about trying on the hundreds of things she picked up for me. I didn't complain when she wanted to go into just one more store. Because I knew it might not ever happen again." Ron expected her to well up with tears as she had done all summer at any mention at all of her parents but she didn't. She just stood there holding her dress in one hand and touching the fabric with the other. Her face calm and serene as she spoke.

"She was so excited with I told her I needed a fancy dress for a wedding. It was like, for the first time I was the frilly little girl I know she always wanted. She must have made me try on a hundred different things, but then I tried on this one. She just, she said I looked so beautiful and as strange as it sounds I just believed her. I never did that, my reply to her telling me things like that was always a mental checklist of how inaccurate she was." She seemed lost in her thoughts as Ron looked at her. _'Say it, just say it!'_

"You are beautiful Hermione." Neither one said anything and his words hung in the air between them. Ron wondered if she'd heard him or not, or if he just made a fool of himself for opening up like that.

"Thank you Ron." A shy smile spread across her face and he was about to say more when a loud noise from above broke his concentration. Harry's heavy footfalls on the stairs told them he was coming down and Ron would rather he didn't get caught staring at a scantily clad Hermione while he just stood their half naked with an erection straining against the flannel of his pajamas.

"I set up the sleeping bags." Ron said and was disappointed when an annoyed crease wrinkled across her forehead. "What's wrong with them?" he was frustrated at her lack of praise on his thoughtfulness.

"Who exactly do you intend to sleep where?" She asked placing a hand on her hip.

"You right there on the end." He pointed to the sleeping bag raised up one the crimson couch cushions. "Harry on the other end and me in the middle." he felt stupid clarifying his place in the middle next to her.

"Harry's had a hard day lets let him sleep on the cushions." She said biting her lip when she was done.

"Like hell, we all had a hard day but that's besides the point. You're a girl." he stated it as if this cleared up any residual confustion.

"Yes and your a 1950's throw back. _'A girl'_" she scoffed as she spat his words back out at her.

"So I get in trouble for not treating you like a proper girl but then you insult me when I do. Make up your mind woman!"

"Woman, Woman! Did you just say use woman as an insult. I could hex you right now." Does she know how lovely she looks when she quarreled with him? Did she have any idea how her heaving chest and wide eyes made him want to press his lips against her skin just to see what it would feel like beneath his tongue?

"How is calling you woman an insult? You're of age, your a proper woman, there's no reason to go all crazy about on, seeing as you are actually a woman."

"It's not that you noticed I am indeed a woman, it's the way you phrased it."

"How did I miss phrase woman? Just get inside the rudding bag on top of the rudding cushions."

Ron gestured wildly with his hands toward the sleeping area he'd set up and for the first time noticed Harry's presence as his friend pulled the third sleeping bag into the far corner and slipped in still fully clothed and closed his eyes as his two best friends argued animatedly.


End file.
